Less Politeness, More Forthrightness

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Does Your Ass Hurt Yet?

As I speak the company I work for is going through the process of contract negotiations with the Teamsters Union which represents the employees. Before I continue I would like to make it clear, I have very little use for unions, and if it weren’t for the fact that I am required to be a member to work where I do, I would never have joined one. I have my own reasons, and I won’t go into them as they bear no relevance to the subject I wish to discuss here today.

It seems like every time this process of contract negotiations takes place, rumors begin flying all over the place as to what the company is trying to take from the employees. I don’t think some people realize that it is a bargaining process and nothing is set in stone until they present us with a contract to vote upon. It makes absolutely no sense to get yourself all worked up over these rumors until something is presented to you in final form.

However, since everyone is getting all worried about certain aspects, I felt that I may as well add my two cents, and just to let you know, what I am about to say is going to piss a lot of people off.

A good portion of the rumors I have heard deal with the issue of medical insurance. Among the rumors I have heard are; that the company is trying to take it away from us, that our premiums are going to increase, and that if you have a pre-existing condition they new insurance they switched to won’t cover expenses incurred due to that condition.

First of all, from what I understand, the company has absolutely nothing to do with which insurance company we use. If I’m not mistaken that choice is made by the union, so if you have any complaints about the type, and extent of the coverage you are getting, thank the union, but don’t blame the company.

Secondly, yes our premiums have gone up, and they probably will go up even more. Also, it may be true that this new company might not cover pre-existing conditions, but once again, don’t blame the company for this, blame the union for picking a company with these guidelines.

Then again, there could be another reason altogether which has nothing to do with the company, or the union, for that matter. Has anyone stopped to think that the rising costs, and new regulations regarding health care insurance may be tied to the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as it is more commonly known?

Going back to 2008 when Barack Obama was running for his first term as president I warned people about him, and about his plans for government run health care. Nobody listened, they all thought Barack Obama was the best thing since sliced bread. Well, it may just be that your decision to vote for him is now coming back to bite you in the ass.

I mean, for crying out loud, then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said that “We have to pass the bill so you can find out what’s in it.” Are you aware, that even though Obamacare has been in effect since March of 2010 that there are still provisions within it that have not even gone into effect yet? According to the Heritage Foundation many of the more damaging provisions in Obamacare aren’t set to take effect until 2014. Are you also aware that on January 1rst of this year you started being taxed at roughly 3% on all your purchases to fund this new health care monstrosity? You won’t see it, unless you shop at Cabela’s, as they are the only business who does not hide this new ‘medical excise tax’ in the regular sales tax. But make no mistake, this president who said he would not raise taxes on the middle class is now taxing you at 3% to fund Obamacare.

The Heritage Foundation also said this about Obamacare…BEFORE IT WAS SIGNED INTO LAW, “These changes will likely produce upward pressure on health insurance premiums in the fully insured marketand this will disproportionately affect these medium-size companies as well as smaller companies. Employees will likely bear most of the burden since these costs will likely be passed on to them in the form of reduced wages, discontinued hiring, or loss of employment. Instead of adding more regular full-time employees, some businesses will simply increase hours for current employees, hire low-skilled and low-income labor, or opt for more temporary or seasonal workers.”

Gee, that sounds strikingly familiar. Could it be that I wrote something very similar while Congress was still debating this bill? Oh, but that’s right, I’m just some conspiracy theorist nut case and nobody should pay attention to anything I say.

The fact is that health care insurance costs are going to get worse, for both the insured, and the companies that provide it for their employees. I told you people back in 2008 that the ultimate goal was to make it so expensive the companies would be forced to drop all private health care insurance so that everyone would be forced to accept Obamacare as their ONLY health care option.

But like I said, nobody listened to me. Not only that, the union told you to vote for Obama and look what’s happening to your health care costs because you LISTENED to them instead of all those who were warning you about Obamacare? Yet you people will refuse to admit that you made a bad choice and it is now coming back to haunt you. Instead, you will blame the greedy company who is only trying to save themselves money and pass that cost on to you.

Now don’t get me wrong, I do believe that the company can be tight with their money and not give us decent pay raises to keep up with the cost of living. But make no mistake about this, the company IS NOT at fault for the fact that your insurance is going up, or that the benefits you’re getting are not as good as they used to be. You can place the blame for that squarely upon the shoulders of Barack Obama and ANYONE who voted for him.

You know, former President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn’t sit for a month.” Well said Teddy!

As for the rest of the contract negotiations, I will wait and see what they offer us and THEN I will begin to worry. But in regards to the cost, and quality of health insurance, although it may suck, I am going to enjoy the hell out of rubbing this in the nose of every Democrat I know.

March 1, 2013

If you liked Neal’s latest column, maybe you’ll like his book: ROSS: Unmasked

~ Quotables ~

"As democracy is perfected, the office of the President represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be occupied by a downright fool and complete narcissistic moron." ~ H.L. Mencken, the Baltimore Evening Sun, July 26, 1920